The Definite Net Send

If you ever used the Ned Send command to send instant messages over Winpopup protocol, you already know there's little excitement in using the black-and-white command line to send messages. If you ever ran Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger, you can imagine the gap between these products and the Net Send command. No GUI, no contact list.

Why a Third-Party Net Send?

Windows Vista no longer has the Net Send command. Microsoft has removed the Net Send command, Messenger service and Winpopup protocol altogether from Windows Vista because of the many security problems associated with the protocol.

But what about those who are still using applications that rely on the instant messaging functionality once built into Windows? What about those who desperately need instant messaging over local networking but no longer have it? They are left without any official support from Microsoft except Internet-based Windows Messenger. That's why you need third-party software to fill the void.

Fomine Net Send GUI re-enables your PC to send and receive instant messages over LAN and fulfils the need for Net Send command to all who got used to it.

Why Microsoft Removed Net Send

There certainly was a good reason why Microsoft decided to get rid of the Winpopup protocol, Messenger service and the Net Send functionality. The only surprise is that they didn't remove such a great security hole a long time ago!

The infamous phenomenon of Messenger Spam was a wide-spread and much talked-about issue just a while ago. Winpopup protocol did not have any authentication or security, which allowed annoying pop-up windows to obstruct users' desktops. Winpopup became an annoying distraction to work in many offices that were connected to the Internet with computers' IP addresses exposed.

A malicious person was easily able to completely lock up a computer, displaying multiple pop-up windows so fast that the user did not have a chance to close them.

The only way to stop and prevent these security issues was to stop the Messenger service altogether. That's why Microsoft had no choice as to eventually obsolete the protocol and remove it completely from future versions of Windows.

Is It As Bad As Microsoft Winpopup?

The Net Send GUI does not rely upon or use the legacy Winpopup protocol. Instead, it sends and receives instant messages over its own secure network protocol that is based on TCP/IP instead of old-fashioned NetBIOS. This approach provides the following advantages:

You can disable dangerous Microsoft Messenger Service, a provider for the Winpopup protocol. This alone closes a huge security hole and gets rid of the Messenger Spam issue.

Unlike NetBIOS used by Winpopup, the TCP/IP protocol used by Net Send GUI is securely controlled by firewalls and is completely protected against the spam issue.

There is a receive-only version that allows your network users to receive messages, but provides no means to send any.

Net Send Command Line Tool

Need to send messages from your application or a script? Net Send GUI comes with a command-line tool NetSend.exe and a well-documented DLL that exports four simple functions that provide instant messaging functionality to your application. See C++ and C# examples for details of using DLL.